Don’t just count who graduates—study why some don’t.

At Tactix, we don’t just count who graduates—we study why some don’t.

During World War II, military leaders examined returning aircraft peppered with bullet holes to decide where to reinforce armor. Mathematician Abraham Wald challenged their thinking. He pointed out they were only studying the planes that survived. The areas without damage? Those were the critical points—because when they got hit, the planes never made it back.

This is survivorship bias. And it still shows up today—in law enforcement field training programs.

Too often, agencies evaluate their training model by looking only at successful graduates. But what about the trainees who didn’t finish? Or those who struggled post-certification? If we only analyze those who “made it back,” we may be reinforcing the wrong areas of our program.

At Tactix, we use data-driven insights to identify patterns in both success and attrition. We ask:

• Where are the breakdowns in competency development?

• Which behaviors predict long-term success—not just graduation?

• What interventions actually turn struggling officers around?

Our approach focuses on what matters most: improving training outcomes, officer readiness, and long-term performance—not just pass/fail stats.

Because in field training, just like in combat, where the bullets don’t land can be just as important as where they do.

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